Klobuchar wins governor as DFL takes full control of Minnesota state government

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar defeated Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth on Tuesday to become the next governor of Minnesota. Her victory completes a trifecta for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which also won control of the state House and Senate.

Unofficial results as of Wednesday morning show the DFL holding at least 72 of 134 seats in the House. A majority requires 68 seats. Republicans secured 50 seats, and 12 races remained unconfirmed. The party entered the election with 67 seats after a Republican resignation broke a previous 67-67 tie.

In the Senate, the DFL claimed at least 34 of 67 seats. This count matches the number needed for a majority. Republicans won 24 seats, with nine contests still pending. Democrats had held a 34-33 advantage before the election.

Klobuchar sought the office after Governor Tim Walz announced he would not run for a third term. The DFL had lost its full control of state government in 2024. In that cycle, Republicans flipped three House seats, creating a 67-67 tie. That outcome ended the party's previous trifecta and forced the legislature into a power-sharing agreement effective in 2025.

The 2024 tie marked the second time in state history that the House was evenly split, the first occurring in 1979. The new unified control allows the DFL to advance legislation that stalled under the previous divided arrangement.

Gun reform is a primary focus for the new majority. The party had sought to pass an assault weapons ban, a measure that did not reach a floor vote in the House. DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy stated that voters could change that dynamic. Protests at the close of the last session specifically demanded votes on bans for semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Other legislative priorities include creating an Office of Inspector General to investigate fraud. That proposal had bipartisan support in the Senate but failed to pass the House. Tax policy also remains a point of contention, as Republicans pushed to align state tax codes with federal changes while Democrats expressed concern over budget impacts from potential federal funding cuts.